However, before I get into the original planned thread of this column, I also want to point out the sad irony that Superstorm Sandy hit the New York metro area, and turned parts of NYC and some of the surrounding areas into swampland on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Mission Critical whose cover bears the tagline “Data Centers and Emergency Backup Solutions.” Sandy even shut down power in the lower half of Manhattan for five days, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which remained closed for an unprecedented two days (the Exchange required emergency back-up generator power to finally re-open and operate for the balance of the week).
Clearly, the storm created an emergency far greater than losing utility power for a few hours. Many underlying critical infrastructure systems that were previously taken for granted as secure and reliable, even under prior adverse events, failed.